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Ding Liren (born Oct. 24, 1992) became the first Chinese player to claim the world chess championship title in 2023. He is the highest-ranked Chinese chess player in history and a three-time Chinese chess champion. Ding also won the 2019 Grand Chess Tour, defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the final, and triumphed at the 2019 Sinquefield Cup.
Notably, Ding was the first Chinese player to compete in a Candidates Tournament and was the first from his country to surpass the magic 2800 Elo mark on the FIDE rating list. In July 2016, he achieved the then-highest rapid chess rating of 2875, a record broken by Magnus Carlsen in December 2017 with an astounding 2986.
Ding, unlike many Asian chess players, is known for his highly strategic style, relying on formidable endgame technique. He made headlines by remaining undefeated in classical games from August 2017 to November 2018, achieving 29 wins and 71 draws. This 100-game unbeaten streak was the longest in the history of elite chess until Magnus Carlsen surpassed it in 2019 with 125 games. Although GM Sergey Tiviakov and GM Bogdan Lalic have also recorded unbeaten streaks of 110 games, their opponents were not from the global elite.
Ding finished as runner-up at the Chess World Cups in both 2017 and 2019 and placed second in the 2022 Candidates Tournament. When Magnus Carlsen declined to defend his world title, Ding’s second-place finish earned him the opportunity to face Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, the Candidates winner, for the world championship. The match ended in a tie after 14 games, leading to a tiebreak at a faster time control. Although Nepomniachtchi is a renowned rapid and blitz player, Ding displayed remarkable composure, especially in the decisive game, to clinch the tiebreak 2½-1½ and secure the world title.
Following this monumental achievement, it emerged that Ding was grappling with mental health challenges—more on this in the next installment. While Ding is celebrated for his elegant positional style, outstanding endgame technique, and resilience in tough positions, he has also demonstrated his ability to launch ferocious attacks using tactical ingenuity.
One striking example is his game as White against Polish GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda at the 2018 Olympiad. This Olympiad, won on board points by China, ended with China, the United States, and Russia all tied at 18 match points. However, China had a significantly higher board-point total (372.5) compared to the United States (360) and Russia (354.5). Ding Liren remained undefeated on the top board with a +3 score.
In the diagrammed position, Black had sacrificed a queen for a few pieces, launching a powerful attack on White’s king. White likely expected the king to retreat safely to f3 but overlooked Black's devastating next move. Can you identify the crushing blow Ding delivered in this position?
Key Concepts of Chess - Pawn Structures Vol.1 and 2
In this two-part course the emphasis will be on typical pawn-structures.
This week’s show (for Premium Members only)
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